PITTSBURGH GlaxoSmithKline on Tuesday celebrated its one-year anniversary of the launch of the over-the-counter weight loss remedy alli with a $75,000 donation to Dress for Success Worldwide.

Dress for Success Worldwide (www.dressforsuccess.org) is an international, non-profit organization that provides disadvantaged women with professional clothing, career development tools and a network of support.

In addition to the cash donation, female alli users are urged to donate their nearly new, plus-sized (size 14 and above) business attire to Dress for Success and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. Also, because the organization needs more than donated clothing, GSK Consumer Healthcare is asking alli users to donate time and resources to their local Dress for Success affiliate.

“Looking good and feeling good go hand-in-hand, and that’s why alli is supporting Dress for Success with a financial donation, clothing donation and volunteers,” stated Karen Scollick, vice president weight control at GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.

GlaxoSmithKline also released a new book titled “We Lost It,” that’s dedicated to telling real-life stories of people who have lost weight on the alli program, how they did it, what they’ve learned and how it has impacted their life. Several alli users featured in the book were on hand Tuesday in New York for a chance to have a “little black dress” designed for them by Laura Bennett and Mychael Knight, both former Project Runway finalists. And a featured male alli user was styled by event emcee, Jai Rodriguez, formerly of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and currently seen on the Style Network’s Ultimate Style.

Study says children can get key vitamins, nutrients from cereals

MINNEAPOLIS The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition has released a report that said a significant number of American children and adolescents do not receive adequate amounts of calcium and another report cited that 42 percent of adolescents received a lower amount of vitamin D levels than recommended.

Some dieticians and General Mills cereal maker have said that including vitamin D- and calcium-fortified cereals in a child’s diet helps promote a healthy lifestyle.

“Maintaining adequate calcium and vitamin D intake during childhood and adolescence is necessary for the development of peak bone mass, which may be important in reducing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis later in life,” Kathleen Zelman, master of public health, registered and licensed dietician, said.

The USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended that children ages 2 to 8 should have two cups of dairy each day. The dairy can come from cheese, fat-free milk, low-fat milk, or yogurt. The recommended daily allowance of calcium for children aged1 to 3 years is 500 milligrams of per day and they should receive 200 IUs of vitamin D, sources said. Children 4 to 8 years of age should have 800 milligrams per day and the same amount of vitamin D as younger children.

General Mills said that all of its Big G Kid cereals include 12 vitamins and minerals—including calcium and vitamin D—and each has 8 grams of whole grain in each serving. In addition, by the end of the year General Mills has committed to reducing the amount of sugar per serving in its Big G Kids products to12 grams.

FDA panel recommends stricter labeling for eye care products

GAITHERSBURG, Md. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on June 10 recommended there be stricter labeling and testing for contact lenses and cleaning solutions, following a meeting of the Ophthalmic Device Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee.

The meeting was called by the FDA, in part, because of the number of product recalls associated with contact lens cleaning solutions in the past few years.

Specifically, the advisory committee suggested stronger label warnings that would identify potential infections that can lead to blindness, for example, as a possible consequence of not following product instructions.

Panelists also recommended the agency require pre-approval testing of the efficacy of lens solutions against Acanthamoeba keratitis, a parasite involved in one of the outbreaks.

Schnucks said that using Rochester, N.Y.-based PharmaSmart’s technology would help drive Medicare Star Ratings objectives, including adherence for hypertension and blood pressure control, both of which are triple-weighted measures that national and regional insurers focus on.

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